November 22, 2005 - The East Timor and Indonesia Action
Network (ETAN) strongly condemned the State Department’s waiver of
newly legislated restrictions on U.S. military assistance to
Indonesia. The Department announced today that “it is in the
national security interests of the United States to waive
conditionality pertaining to Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and
defense exports to Indonesia.” The restriction was contained in the
Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs
Appropriations Act, 2006, which became public law only last week.

In response, ETAN has issued the following statement:

ETAN condemns in the strongest terms possible the State
Department’s issuance of a national security wavier that removes all
congressional restrictions on military assistance for Indonesia.
U.S. support for an unreformed military which remains above the law
is not in the interest of the United States or Indonesia. This is a
profoundly disappointing and sad day for human rights protections
everywhere but especially in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and the U.S.

Not even two weeks ago, Congress sent a clear message to the
Indonesian government and security forces that it expected real
improvements in military reform, human rights protections, and
accountability for crimes against humanity and other serious crimes
before FMF could be provided and lethal equipment exported to
Indonesia. Secretary Rice has completely undermined that message and
undermined congressional intent by doing so.

The State Department’s action is simply a transparent abuse of
discretion granted to the executive by Congress.

The State Department’s statement that “The U.S. remains committed
to pressing for accountability for past human rights violations, and
U.S. assistance will continue to be guided by Indonesia's progress
on democratic reform and accountability” could not ring more hollow.
With what leverage will the State Department press for
accountability? The Bush administration just gave all remaining
leverage away.

With the stroke of a pen, Secretary Rice and President Bush
betrayed the untold tens of thousands of victims of the Indonesian
military’s brutality in Indonesia and Timor-Leste and undermined
efforts at democratic reform.

ETAN advocates for democracy, justice and human rights for East
Timor and Indonesia. ETAN calls for an international tribunal to
prosecute crimes against humanity committed in East Timor from 1975
to 1999 and for continued restrictions on U.S. military assistance
to Indonesia until there is genuine reform of its security forces.